Where did you grow up?

Those of you who keep posting memes about guns in the back of every pick-up truck, exactly where did you grow up? If you kept a loaded gun in a gun rack, you are unsafe and very possibly a fool.

Where I grew up, there were gun racks in most pick-ups. I even went hunting and had a gun in my car when I did. It was also kept empty when being transported. You see, we took hunter's safety and most parents were very careful to make sure kids remained safe with weapons. At my house, guns were kept empty and locked up. 

At school, however, those racks were generally kept empty. If it were hunting season, you might see an occasional shotgun or rifle depending on the season. I can also almost guarantee that those guns were kept empty. These guns, by the way, are a long way from an AR-15 or for that matter any semi-automatic. So yes, occasionally, you might see a gun in a rack, but not every truck and not every day. 

There is also - and this is just a thought - a reason that guns disappeared from the windows of trucks. Advertising what you are carrying in your vehicle is not the brightest thing you could do. It's kind of like putting a sign in you window of "Please Break This Window and Steal My Stuff." Perhaps, it was more of a modern common sense idea than a political statement. By the way, you can still buy a rack for your truck, if you want. Here's one from Cabela's in case you want to advertise your stuff.

Memory is a funny thing. While there were guns used for hunting, they weren't a statement about how armed and dangerous we were. I don't recall anyone ever announcing he was carrying for protection. It wasn't a statement then. This is, quite honestly, rewriting history that didn't exist.  You're right, we didn't have nearly as much of a gun problem then. We do have one now. Living in the past will not solve the problems of today. As much as you may want to go back to that mythical, history of 50's and 60's television, it's not going to happen. It's time to deal with the problems of today.